New Beginnings
by Kanoe Kill
Summary: My interpretation of what Yu and Shinoa were thinking in episode 12.


Yu was unsure about how he felt about Shinoa, romantic feelings had always been far from his thoughts. In his hellish life, being beaten as a child didn't leave you with much love for people, and after Yu found a family to fill the hole in his heart, they were eventually slaughtered by vampires. He probably used to think to himself in a deep blush of how Akane had always cared for him and the other orphans, but these thoughts were only bred in the loneliest of dreams, and after seeing her murdered before his eyes, his brain subconsciously blocked off all potential thoughts of romance to act as a shield from pain.

You couldn't expect to ask him about the orphanage and not get knocked out and cursed with a vulgar strand of unhealthy words, but he never tried to forget his family, they made his blood boil and roused his emotions _past_ a point of rage.

He always remembered the bond he and Mika shared, the likes of which he had never been able to replicate, until Shinoa and his team. It scared Yu, he felt like by accepting his friends as his new family, he was somehow betraying his old one.

But Shinoa had somehow managed to tear down those walls of hesitance and insecurity without him even knowing it, as slowly but surely Yu came to have another family, and it was all because of her.

These were the thoughts he had as he woke up to an excited Yoichi, who he himself had just been woken up from Yu's bedside. Yoichi left as soon as Yu woke up to tell the others, and leaving Yu to frantically remember that Mika was alive. 'Or was he', "Mika, could you really be alive?" he finally said out loud, beginning to cry.

Walking out of the opposite doorway wearing her usual gentle smile, Shinoa walked up to Yu's hospital room surprising him by calmly asking, "Is this the cry baby's room?"Having not noticed her walk into the room, Yu's heart skipped a beat at the sound of her gentle voice. She continued talking, "It's fine. Of course you'd cry. After all, your family was alive."

Yu just stared at her, half thinking he was in a dream, because Mika was alive, but also because of the way Shinoa was making him feel. Her presence had always put him at ease, but when she was this kind Yu always felt a warzone, feeling miraculously both at peace and hurting inside, both fighting to take over. Yu just didn't realize that what he was feeling was actually love, the peace being calmness at her presence, but the hurt because he wasn't sure what to do.

She continued, "And I'm glad that your awake." Goosebumps suddenly covered Yu's tired body, as his mind tried to keep up with all that was happening, 'why did she make him feel this way?'

Yu began to hurt again inside, the uneasy peace shattering. He knew that her kindness was meant to be a game, which Yu had grown used to. He was aware that Shinoa was a Hiragi, and as such was raised to feel little to no emotion for others, this was just her way of pretending to have these emotions. When Yu first met her he thought the exact opposite, and that she had extreme mental problems, as the first things she said to him was basically sexual harassment. What he had once found to be fairly humorous, which is saying something for him, he now found hurt his already broken heart. He knew that what she pretended to say wasn't real, and he would always remember that just when he began to feel happy.

"Whats going on?" he said, "I don't remember anything?"

"So you remember nothing?" Shinoa said, actually surprised.

"Right," responded a damaged Yu, wanting answers.

Shinoa looked down, shocked that he didn't remember something so important as turning into a monster and almost killing her. Putting on a smile, she just looked at him and gave him a half assed lie mixed in with the truth, saying he just fell asleep in battle. Reinforcements came soon as their units were about to be destroyed, and that Mika was taken by the Vampires. This mended Yu's heart some, taking refuge in the fact that his family at least still conversation stopped as Shinoa was left to think back to the aftermath of the incident, and Yu was left to his own momentary thoughts.

For the first time since waking up, Yu really got a chance to look at Shinoa, and what he found surprised him. For he didn't see an emotionless Hiragi, or the leader of his team, but a young girl who had waited at his bedside while he was hurt, a girl who cares about him. He saw a girl lost in her thoughts, whose eyes reflected the moonlight like a candle, and hair and skin that glowed like the sunset. He had alway's known she was pretty, but this just left him dumbfounded.

Yu had been unsure about what it was he felt for Shinoa, if it was anything, but after seeing how much she cared about him he couldn't deny his feelings for her, but that was something someone like him shouldn't have. Interrupting both of their thoughts, he spoke from his heart, before he even knew what he was saying, "Thanks for worrying about me."

As she smiled his heart froze, her smile was so beautiful, why had he never noticed this before now? Noticing her bandage on her neck and compelled by the overwhelming urge to touch her, he reached out to her face and he held his hand at her cheek.

Shinoa realized she was inexplicably happy by his touch, and found herself hoping he would make a move, and felt her heart crushed when he talked about her bite. Suddenly embarrassed by the oddly emotional thoughts she was having, she hurried to explain. "Ohh, that? Um, yes, they just had a sip of my blood."

Yu was happy and his hand may have rested in that comfortable spot forever had Mitsu not barged into the room. Realizing they were caught in what appeared to be a rather intimate moment, Shinoa and Yu stared at the intruder like a deer stuck in headlights. Mitsu literally surprised Shinoa out of her seat as she rushed to explain that he was just looking at her bite. Helping the cover, but also legitimately worried about his friend, Yu stopped Mitsu's anger.

" Hey, you have it too! Were you ok?"

Having defused the situation, Yu sighed to himself. 'Damn, that was close'. Shinoa was still on the ground and gently put her hand to her cheek, wondering why she felt so giddy at his touch but so sad it didn't mean more, 'Do I really love him?' She thought to herself. As much as she hated to admit it, Guren may have been right, Shinoa Hiragi had fallen for the Hyakuya.


End file.
